


knowledge for knowledge's sake

by tigriswolf



Series: comment_fic drabbles [249]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sorting (Harry Potter), Ambiguous/Open Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 16:02:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3615864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigriswolf/pseuds/tigriswolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Change one aspect of Hermione Granger's character: instead of blindly accepting authority prior to Hogwarts, she questions <i>everything</i>.  </p><p>How could knowledge for knowledge's sake be wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	knowledge for knowledge's sake

**Author's Note:**

> Title: knowledge for knowledge’s sake  
> Fandom: Harry Potter  
> Disclaimer: not my characters  
> Warnings: AU at the sorting; references to violence/character death; darkish!Hermione  
> Pairings: none  
> Rating: PG  
> Wordcount: 1700  
> Point of view: third  
> Prompt: Harry Potter, Hermione, _Knowledge was her true god_.

She wants to _know_ \-- what could possibly be wrong about that? 

.

Hermione had long outgrown the children's section of every library within driving distance of her parents' home, though when she asked, they would drive further still. The librarians thought she was adorable; her classmates, not so much. She argued with the teachers when she knew they were wrong, and there was so much she knew. 

Her mother asked her to save her battles for important things. Hermione listened and Hermione learned. 

.

With her Hogwarts letter (and Professor McGonagall proving it wasn’t a joke), a whole new world opened, a world with so much Hermione didn’t yet know. She had her parents buy one book from each section of Flourish and Blotts, and she read, and she remembered. She practiced without her wand until she found the book that said only the most powerful could do wandless magic; how could an eleven year old muggleborn be one of the most powerful? 

(Eventually, she will remember. By then, she will _know_.)

.

Ravenclaw for the know-it-alls; Gryffindor for the courageous; Hufflepuff for the loyal; Slytherin for the power-hungry. 

Such simple division. 

.

Hermione was reading when the boy popped in to ask if she’d seen a toad. She hadn’t seen a toad, so she sent him on his way and turned the page. 

. 

_Oh, my, what an interesting mind!_ the Hat said. _You could easily go into all four, though two are plainly obvious_. 

Ravenclaw, she thought. There was so much to learn, so much she wanted to know. An entire culture that she’d barely had a year to study. So much history, so much knowledge waiting – 

_Where to put you?_ the Hat asked. It laughed and then added, _Perhaps you’re what we need, Ms. Granger. Better be “SLYTHERIN!”_

.

They tried bullying her; she learned spells to retaliate. They tried frightening her; she recited their history with a smile. She did not merely memorize facts and regurgitate them – she synthesized and analyzed and combined it all together in a way the natives hadn’t needed to and few muggleborns had wanted to. 

Hermione Granger had no time for friends. There was so much to learn. 

.

At the end of her first year at Hogwarts, Hermione broke every single record. The Slytherins had no idea what to do with her and they’d ceased bothering her. The other Houses left her alone, too, because she was only a little bookworm, even if she was a snake. 

. 

There was so much to learn. Knowledge for knowledge’s sake, Hermione thought, as she delved ever further into magic. 

Knowledge for knowledge’s sake. 

.

Being a muggleborn gave her quite a bit of leeway when it came to the Headmaster, to Madame Pince. And with Harry Potter running around in constant trouble – who noticed the girl ever in the library, head buried in a book? 

.

She learned so much. She questioned everything. She formulated her own ideas, performed theoretical tests, and then moved on to practical examinations in the Room of Requirement (which was mentioned in an earlier edition of _Hogwarts, a History_ than was currently available). 

Hermione maintained her perfect grades and kept all of her experimenting to herself; until she had it completely beyond reproof, no one would know of it. 

.

The Heir of Slytherin, Sirius Black, the Triwizard Tournament – she noticed, of course, because how could she not. But it didn’t interrupt her research or her quest to _know_. 

. 

Hermione Granger saw many things wrong with the world. 

She could help fix it, if she cared. However, she did not. And until the world bothered her work, she’d leave it well enough alone. 

. 

But of course, Hermione Granger was a muggleborn. And Professor Umbridge took offense to that. 

Hermione’s dormmates had long since learned to leave her alone, mudblood or not. Her Housemates even found some pride in how she smashed record after record as she moved through the years, and thoroughly enjoyed the hundreds of points she earned. The Ravenclaws hated her and also wished to work with her in equal measure. 

She ignored it all, head ever in a book. 

Professor Umbridge tried to assign a detention when Hermione challenged her in class; Hermione chose not to attend. 

.

The pureblood children come to Hogwarts with a certain base of knowledge. There is Family Magic, passed from parents to children via genetics; there are spells children learn as they grow, whether formally taught or not; there is ambient magic that soaks into children because of the magic all around them that perhaps halfbloods and definitely muggleborns do not. 

There is much that is not put into books simply because it is understood knowledge: everyone knows it. Who would bother writing it down? 

A particularly clever person, however, can put it together. 

A particularly _determined_ person can springboard off it and learn even more. 

.

“A blood quill?” Hermione murmured, gazing down at it before looking over at Professor Umbridge. “How very interesting.” 

Hermione’s Head of House had ordered her to the detention, to cease drawing the Head Inquisitor’s attention. Her dormmates had cautioned her, too, which actually made her smile. 

Blood quills are dangerous things. In fact, there’d been an experiment Hermione’s been wanting to try for a few months now. 

“Professor Umbridge,” she called, because fair’s fair. “Are you sure this is the quill you want me to use?” 

“Of course,” Professor Umbridge tittered. 

“Very well,” Hermione said. “I’ll start writing, shall I?” She smiled down at the quill and parchment before writing, _I shall respect my betters_ over and over and over again. 

Professor Umbridge gasped at the first mark but Hermione wrote and wrote and wrote. 

.

There were no more detentions for anyone. The blood-linking spell worked perfectly and Professor Umbridge wasn’t clever enough to figure out how. She was smart enough, however, to not risk it again. 

The experiment was a success. 

.

At the end of the year, Tracey Davis told Hermione, “Maybe you shouldn’t come back next year.” 

Hermione blinked at her until the Runes cleared from her vision. “Why ever not?” 

“You’re muggleborn, Granger,” Davis said, exasperatedly. “It’s not safe, especially not with, well –” She nodded at _The Daily Prophet_ Bulstrode was reading, with its front page headline about the return of You Know Who. 

Hermione shrugged. “Thank you for the warning,” she said. 

Davis sighed and shrugged and turned away. 

.

Sixth year was quiet until the end, when the headmaster died.

The world interrupted Hermione’s studies. 

She sighed and went to the owlry, sending home a single letter. 

_Mum and Dad,_

_It would be best if you went on an extended holiday, preferably to the Americas or Australia. I love you both. Don’t worry about me._

_Your daughter,_

_Hermione_

.

Blood-linking spells were the least dangerous of Hermione’s discoveries. She’d also invented a few things most of the stagnant society wouldn’t even imagine. 

In another world, where the Hat put her in Gryffindor because she asked, Hermione dismissed herself by telling Harry Potter she had only “books and cleverness.” She would eventually be known as the brightest witch of her generation, but her studies would be affected by what Harry needed for his various adventures. 

In this world, Hermione’s studies are limited only by what she wishes to know. As she wishes to know everything, this is, in fact, no limitation at all. 

Once, Tom Riddle (a halfblood with a muggle father) wanted to know things so that he could take over the society. He learned dark arts and recreated himself into a wizard the entire society (including his followers) feared. 

.

Hermione Granger fears nothing. 

.

Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Harry Potter went on a horcrux hunt throughout the countryside. 

Hermione Granger returned to school, where her Head of House became Headmaster. “Miss Granger,” he said, “you should not have come back.” 

“I need to finish my schooling, Headmaster Snape,” Hermione replied.

.

Her housemates in her year still left her alone, as did the ones in sixth and fifth year. The rest, however, must be taught. 

And the new Defense professors… 

“Mudblood!” the woman shouted at her, aiming with a wand. 

Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Mudblood!” the woman repeated before saying, “Crucio!” 

.

In her years at Hogwarts, Hermione Granger learned many things. She performed more in-depth research and various experiments over the summer holidays; her base of knowledge was laid in the year before she could attend, as her birthday just missed the cut-off. 

In another world, Hermione wasn’t at Hogwarts during her seventh year. Neville Longbottom led the students in an insurrection, discovering his courage and strength. While the headmaster did what he could to protect the students, he also had to maintain his cover with the Dark Lord and the magical community went to hell in a handbasket (to use one of Hermione’s cousin’s favorite sayings). 

In this world, without Neville to lead them, the students suffered with no hope. 

Well. Perhaps there was some hope after all. 

In a very old book, Hermione found a simple spell that deflects everything. There is no incantation. The mage is to merely raise a hand and picture a reflective surface – any reflective surface will do. At the time of the writing, there was water with mirrors still being years away. 

Professor Carrow sent an Unforgivable at Hermione, and Hermione raised her left hand, pictured a mirror, and returned the curse. 

Of course, this meant the curse was now under Hermione’s control. She knew that the longer a person is under the curse, the greater the damage to both mind and magical core. It would be an interesting study. 

Everyone looked at her in fear and horror, as the other Carrow shouted, “Avada Kedavra!” 

Hermione held up her right hand. 

.

There were questions, of course. Hermione did not answer them. 

.

Only the most powerful can use wandless magic.

There is so much to learn. 

.

In another world, Hermione joined the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and married Ron Weasley. She had two children, many nieces and nephews, and a happy life. She was known as a hero and the brightest witch of her generation. 

. 

Harry Potter still battled Voldemort to the death. Neville Longbottom still killed the Dark Lord’s favored companion, Nagini. 

.

Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor. Light and dark. 

There is so much to know. 

“Knowledge for knowledge’s sake,” Hermione said, smiling. “How could it be bad?”


End file.
